Happee Monkee

I decided to walk home from work on Monday. It was a gorgeous winter’s day and since it was only 3pm, there was plenty of time until the shops closed. I took a different route and scoured interesting looking shops. I love charming boutique stores with sit-and-sip neighbourhood cafes with little dogs sitting patiently at their masters’ feet.

I am also a tableware and prop addict. I have a box full of plates, spoons, glasses, jars; not to mention printed craft cloths and stationery. I cannot resist buying little tea cups or cute french milk jars. My favourite haunts are the op shops – as one would say – one man’s rubbish is another man’s treasure. That afternoon, by the time I arrived home, my back pack was bulging and I was (happily) struggling with a new cake stand in one hand and the Australian Gourmet Traveller in the other.

On the front cover of August’s copy donned a beautiful brown sugar sponge cake with caramel pears made so spectacularly and beautifully.

It had me at hello.

I had to attempt this beast. But as I read the recipe, I was aghast at the amount of eggs it required (twelve) and the army it feeds (it serves 8 – 10 persons). In my home, there is only G., his dad and me, and, as it is, I can see our waistlines expanding splendidly. It certainly didn’t need to anymore.

So, instead of a four-layer sponge cake, it became two-layers. I also cut the recipe down to a third and subsituted some ingredients like crème fraiche with thickened cream (in vain effort to downsize the calories), and packham pears instead of corella (because that’s all I had). This is my simplified version of the recipe. Happy baking!

Sponge Cake with Caramel Pears (serves 4)
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(adapted from Australian Gourmet Traveller August 2010)

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 50gm sugar
• 100gm self-raising flour, triple sifted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 40gm butter, melted and cooled

Whipped cream

• 1 cup (250ml) thickened cream
• 1 tbsp icing sugar, sieved
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Caramel pears

• 250gm caster sugar
• 300ml water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cinnamon quill
• 2 medium sized packham pears, peeled and sliced
• 10gm butter, chopped
• 1/2 cup (125ml) thickened cream

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Whisk eggs, sugar, vanilla extract on high speed in an electric mixer until mixture is tripled in volume and holds a trail (10 – 12 minutes).
2. Sift over flour in two batches, gently fold to combine. Then fold in butter.
3. Gently pour into floured cake tin lined with baking paper on base and bake for 35 – 40 minutes.
4. Cool slightly in tins, then turn out and cool completely on wire rack.
5. Meanwhile, for caramel pears, combine sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and water in a saucepan. Stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves.
6. Add pears, and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium and cook until just tender (10 minutes).
7. Remove pear from liquid and set aside.
8. Return liquid to medium-high heat until mixture turns caramel (15 – 20 mins), then add cream and butter (be careful as hot caramel may spit), then stir to combine.
9. Add pears to pan and cook (2 – 3 minutes), then refrigerate until required.
10. Whisk thickened cream, icing sugar and vanilla together until firm peaks form. Refrigerate until required.
11. To assemble, divide cake into two.
12. Place one half on a serving plate, spread half of the whipped cream mixture then drizzle tablespoons of caramel over.
13. Place the other half on top and spread remaining cream. Drizzle caramel pears over the top. Serve cake with extra caramel sauce.

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2. Spiced Apple Tea Cake
3. Pear Tarte Tin
4. Flourless Chocolate Orange Cake
5. Mascarpone Berry Tarts with Caramel Sauce